Sunrise
by SerenityRainfall
Summary: Natsuno wakes up in a car outside the ruins of Sotoba with Seishin, Tatsumi and Sunako in a box. After deciding to stay with his fellow kind, Natsuno and the rest head out to try and find a new life.
1. Awakening

Sunrise: The Chapter That Follows

The sunlight was what woke him from his sleep; mentally groaning, the teen rolled his neck around, getting rid of the kinks that he'd acquired from sleeping in a sitting position-sitting position? The young man shot his eyes open and the sunlight blinded him. He sniffed the air around him; it was familiar, but not very. He heard shifting and a sigh. The sun's effect had died down and he looked to his left and his jaw dropped: the man next to him was supposed to be dead.

That thought led to another, and this time the man screamed: _he was supposed to be dead as well!_ The young man's thoughts didn't continue as the world came to a screeching fast stop. "Are you alright, Yuuki-kun?" The voice was familiar, and Yuuki Natsuno looked into the front seat: sitting there in the driver's seat was Muroi Seishin, the junior monk of Sotoba Village's shrine. They were in a small white car in the middle of nowhere.

"What caused you to scream?" He asked calmly, but Natsuno gave no answer. He glanced slightly at the man who was waking up beside him; Seishin understood and sighed loudly. "Ah, so that's it, huh? I found you two at the top of the pile of dead vampire bodies. I'm surprised you two survived; everything else was blown to pieces…must've been the werewolf in you."

"…What's going on?" Said a sleepy voice from beside Natsuno and he looked to his left: waking up next to him was Tatsumi, servant of the Kirishiki family and another vampire. Tatsumi opened his eyes and was met with an odd scene: in the front seat was Muroi Seishin, and across him, a glaring Yuuki Natsuno. "Well this is very awkward," he muttered as he sighed loudly.

"How are you feeling, Tatsumi-san?" asked Seishin, and Tatsumi looked at him tiredly. "Ah, tired huh? Are either of you hungry? I have blood in the back seat if you wish for me to get you some; I was able to get some from the mansion before it burned down-"

"Muroi-san, what happened to Sunako-sama? Is she alright? And what of Seishirou?" Tatsumi was absolutely livid now; what had happened to those people he'd served so faithfully? Seishin shook his head, but he was smiling.

"Seishirou-san did not make it out alive unfortunately. While I was scavenging for blood around the mansion I found his body; it seems that the humans had gotten to him." Seishin paused for a while before continuing. "Sunako-sama is safe-" Tatsumi sighed in relief as he leaned back into the seat. "She is currently sleeping in the back seat in a light-proof box."

Both Tatsumi and Natsuno looked back to see a small suitcase-sized black box, just as Seishin had said. Tastsumi's appearance visibly relaxed as he reached back and gently rubbed the box with a small smile on his face. To Natsuno, this was disgusting. Well, just about anything vampires did was disgusting to him; even what he himself did.

"Yuuki-kun, it's not nice to judge others. Tatsumi-san is merely showing relief that his mistress survived the…genocide we all were near-victims of last night." Seishin turned back to face the front and started the car up. Once again, they were on the road. A few silence minutes passed until Tatsumi spoke up.

"Muroi-san, did anyone else survive? I saw all those that were murdered at Yamairi, but what of the others? I never saw Megumi's body, or that of Mao's." At each of those names Natsuno flinched, remembering awful times spent with both vampires mentioned. They were annoying even before turning.

"I know Mao is dead; I saw a woman lighting his body on fire. But on Megumi-san…I don't know. I have a feeling like she may still be around. I never did find her body…anyways; the sun is coming down, which means that Sunako-san will be waking up very soon. We should all probably eat up and discuss where to go from here." Seishin sighed as he pulled the car over to the side of the abandoned highway.

Natsuno was the first to get out, and the first to react. "Discuss our plans? What are we, some kind of happy little family now? I hate these people! They," he say, pointing to Tatsumi who was holding Sunako's box, "are the reason I'm like this, like everyone was like this! Why do you trust them, Muroi-san? What are you a vampire n…?"

The words died in his throat as Seishin bared his teeth and revealed the truth: he was a vampire, just as they all were. "I am helping them because I _am _one of them. If you do not wish to join us on our journey to a safe haven, you can leave."

Natsuno got up, glared at Tatsumi one last time, and started walking off into the night. Seishin yelled in his direction, "If you go, we will kill you!" Natsuno sighed and turned around, only to be greeted with little Sunako face to face.

"Yuuki-san, why do you want to leave us? There…there are barely any of us left, and you want us? We could thrive together! Think of the possibilities; we could find a new, better hometown to-"

Natsuno cut her off by grabbing her roughly by her dress collar. "Why the hell would I want to help you kill even _more_ innocent people? Because of you, everyone I knew, everything I cared about burned to the ground! You make me sick."

He dropped her and she fell to the ground. In an instant, Tatsumi was by her side. Tatsumi growled and bared his fangs. "If you even _think _of hurting her again I will kill you, boy…" Tatsumi's eyes were as red as fire, and Natsuno knew he was absolutely serious. He looked over to Sunako, whose eyes were drenched with tears.

"We don't have to kill anyone, Yuuki-kun," Sunako spoke in a small voice; her words were quite clear despite the trembling of her upper lip and the tears that had fallen. "We can live off blood from the blood banks and even off of animals. If that's what it takes for us to stay together, I'm willing to compromise."

Tatsumi looked at her with surprised eyes but Sunako held up her hand and spoke once again, more confident this time. "Will you accept our proposal and join us as we try to find a new life, or will you go against us and die. While you are a _jinrou,_ Tatsumi and Seishin are as well. They could easily overpower you…"

Natsuno actually took her words into consideration. He had to tread carefully here. He could either go on living or die where he stood. Neither choice seemed very appealing, but a thought stuck out in his mind that he'd had long ago. A want he'd had as a human that was as strong, if not stronger than his will to live.

He faced her again, looking down upon her small frame. How could someone so innocent-looking and small be the puppet-master that destroyed a whole town? "You said choose to go with you or die?" He asked again, and she nodded her head. Natsuno let out a sigh; how did his life end up like this.

Natsuno turned on his heel and started to walk. He could hear Sunako gasp and Tatsumi growl. He stopped at the car and opened the door. "Well then, shouldn't we head out then?" He asked, turning to face the three others. Sunako smiled warmly with Seishin just let out a sigh.

"Sunako-sama, I ask that you sit in the back seat with Natsuno because the windows are tinted. While we are out of Sotoba, there might be survivors still in these outer towns and we don't want to be recognized." Tatsumi pushed Sunako towards the back and she pouted, but she did as she was asked and got into the car. "You next, kid," Tatsumi spoke, and Natsuno slowly complied.

Seishin got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Are we ready?" He asked, and there was no reply. The car roared to life and Seishin fastened his seatbelt.

Natsuno had been looking out the window until he felt a tugging on his arm; Sunako was looking at him with pitiful eyes as she held the seatbelt, and Natsuno suppressed the urge to laugh. Sunako angrily pulled onto the seatbelt but it wouldn't budge. Natsuno sighed and reached over, effortlessly pulling across her waist and fastening it snugly.

Sunako beamed at him, and he could tell why people were drawn to her; she was absolutely beautiful, even for a young child.

Seishin started up the gas and the car sped off towards the rising moon; towards a new life.


	2. Hirono, 1985

Sunrise: Chapter 2

**March, 1985**

It'd been nearly five months since the…incidents in Sotoba that'd led to its destruction, and those who'd escaped had tried to move on. One such group including the only surviving vampires from the town: one small puppet-master, a former priest, a blue-haired man who liked odd outfits and a brooding teenager.

After three weeks of aimless driving and hunting deer, the quartet had found a home in the small town of Hirono. The population was barely over 8,000, so the vampires decided to settle down in a place where they wouldn't be bothered that much. Seishin purchased a house on the outskirts of town right by the road leading out in case of an emergency. The three males of the group could care less about the town other than its quiet and peace, but Sunako loved it.

In January she'd made snowmen and snow angels every night, constantly dragging out the other members of the household to join in her fun. Seishin and Tatsumi would generally go along with it, but Natsuno was absolutely adamant about it; he hated the snow, so he stayed inside.

Two weeks after moving into their new home, laid-back Seishin became mother Seishin and insisted that Natsuno reinstate himself in school. He also made Sunako go back, but she'd only do the work by night as she couldn't just walk into the daylight.

Seishin essentially took him by the hand to the only high school in town and signed up Natsuno as a senior and Sunako as a freshman. They received uniforms the following week and Sunako never took hers off. She said she loved the uniform as she'd never gotten to wear one herself; as a human she'd been homeschooled. Of course no one would ever see Sunako besides the three of them because she stayed at home each day. Seishin convinced the principal she was an ailing cancer patient who desperately wanted to learn, and they left the principal trying to hold back tears.

They were now known as Natsuno, Sunako, and Seishin Futsumoto. Tatsumi merely became Uncle Tatsumi. Natsuno slouched and frowned his way through school, despite the throngs of ogling girls who constantly tried to get his attention. "Mysterious Futsumoto-kun!" or "cool Futsumoto-san!" they'd call him. The compliments were unfortunately endless, and there had been many times when Natsuno had begged Seishin to take him out of school.

That was two months ago, and now it rained like there'd be no tomorrow. Natsuno often came home with his shoes completely soaked, much to the anger of him and the poor carpet. Sunako thought it was hilarious and called him Squishy-kun endlessly. Squishy-kun, however, was much better than the alternative.

Sunako had decided that since they were going to be living together for a long time, they should all be less formal with each other: thus the uses of the horrible nicknames. Horrible to Natsuno anyways; the other two just generally went along with it. Natsuno became Naa-chan; Tatsumi became Taa-chan; Seishin became Sei-chan. At one point Natsuno had even bared his fangs at Sunako, who promptly went and cried to Tatsumi. The next day Natsuno came to school with a sprained wrist. From that day he'd merely sighed or groaned at the annoying nickname.

As much as he probably wouldn't want to admit it, life was becoming peaceful; well, peaceful for four vampires. They'd settled into a routine that was relaxed and easy; Natsuno even found himself forgetting what'd happened in the previous year sometimes.

Seishin was definitely like a father: kind yet demanding at the same time, constantly going over the homework that the two purple-haired teens had completed. Tatsumi had become a very laid-back, easygoing man; unless you bothered Sunako, he'd generally leave you alone. Natsuno himself was very much the same as he'd been as a human, although he didn't drink blood during his mortal times.

Natsuno had to admit that if Sunako had never been a vampire that had caused the deaths of hundreds, she'd be an ideal little sister. Yes, she was quite perky and girly, but wasn't that how girls of her age-group were supposed to be? She'd often ask him about his days at school and lately, he'd found himself replying with more than just a simple "fine" or "the same". Five months ago Natsuno would've hated himself, but it seemed as though Sunako had grown on him.

Their days fell in an easy rhythm: Natsuno went to school, Seishin wrote his stories, Sunako slept and Tatsumi…did Tatsumi-like stuff. At night they'd eat together and Natsuno would occasionally help Sunako with her homework. As much as it might've bothered Natsuno before all of the things that happened in Sotoba, he was generally starting to become comfortable with the people he was with.

**May 12****th****, 1985-evening**

At last, the day Natsuno dreaded and Sunako couldn't wait for had arrived: the ending ceremony and banquet for the school they'd been attending. It was to be held at night, and for the weeks preceding it Sunako had been bouncing off the walls in excitement: she could go out again and meet people!

Of course, proper precautions had to be taken. To follow up with their lie about Sunako's "cancer-induced state", they had to order a wheelchair from a neighboring town so as not to rouse suspicion. Seishin also covered her body partially with bandages and wraps, to heighten the awareness of her 'condition'.

When the night finally came, Seishin drove the same old beater that they'd escaped from Sotoba in to the dinner. Sunako was asking Natsuno questions nonstop on the twenty minute drive. Were his classmates nice? How was the food? Were there cute girls? At that question Natsuno's face flushed and Sunako laughed.

"What a prude you are, Naa-chan." She said between giggles. It was quite odd for a girl who looked to be about ten telling a sixteen-year old boy that he was prudish. _'Sixteen…I would be seventeen last month if I were still…' _His thoughts drifted off as they pulled into the already packed parking lot.

Seishin pulled into the disabled parking lot, giving a wink to Sunako and said "I'm so glad you're 'crippled' Sunako! We got the best spot!" He turned off the car and around to the back, pulling out the wheelchair. Natsuno got out of the car and faced the rest of the parking lot; it was filled with the cars of people he'd distanced himself from. There was no need for friendship between you and someone you wanted to drain dry.

Natsuno's thoughts were interrupted by a harsh hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and Tatsumi was giving him an eerie glare. "Sunako-sama has been waiting a long time for something like this, so don't you _dare _screw it up, you hear me?" Natsuno nodded and Tatsumi let him go. Sunako was calling him and he walked off, smiling happily. Natsuno sighed and raked a hand through his hair; even though Sunako was no longer in charge, she and Tatsumi still had a strong Master-Servant relationship.

"Come along, Natsuno-san; the program is going to start soon!" Seishin was calling him from the doors, having already wheeled Sunako there. Tatsumi was diligently at her side as always. Natsuno sighed and turned on his heels; they had a banquet to attend.

**May 12****th****, 1985- Nighttime**

The banquet had gone quite well, even in Natsuno's opinion. The girls (and boys, much to Tatsumi's agitation) fluttered around Sunako, the 'younger sister' of the mysterious transfer student. Sunako loved the attention; it'd been so long since she'd been around others. Seishin and Tatsumi merely sat and drank wine. Natsuno merely sat; Seishin cited that he was far too young to have wine (Tatsumi had a nice laugh at that statement).

Eventually awards had been handed out, and Natsuno received perfect scores for all his classes. Sunako had even been awarded an honorary medal for her 'triumph over her disease'. Sunako even cried fake tears as she spoke to the audience.

Two hours later they in the forest beyond their home, searching for a few deer to eat; Sunako was especially fierce, still on her happy-high. "Over here, I can smell a herd!" Tatsumi shouted with glee, and the others rushed quickly. A herd was a rare and wonderful event; if you got a herd, you could last for weeks without hunting by preserving the blood.

Seishin attacked the largest stag, taking him down with elegant ease, while Sunako and Tatsumi started to take down the rest. Natsuno patrolled the area, making sure none escaped. It seemed as though, in their joy, Sunako and Tatsumi had missed one; it darted between a pair of bushes and into the night.

"I got this one guys," Natsuno called as he jumped above the bushes. Catching up to the deer was an easy task; the deer was fast, but as always, Natsuno was faster. With a snarl his fangs came out and he took down the deer without a second thought. Hot, juicy blood filled his mouth and he let back a shudder. The first bite was always the best, and this was something Natsuno could not deny. However, Natsuno was so caught up in the feed that he didn't notice the footsteps approaching.

Tomosaka Ryuuji, his girlfriend Fujimoto Satsuki, and his best friend Takanashi Shin were drunk; very, very drunk. Rather Ryuuji and Shin were drunk, and Satsuki was buzzed. As seniors they only had one week to go and then they'd graduate! Freedom was on the horizon and the three teens couldn't wait to experience it.

As they stumbled to and fro in the woods at the edge of town, a scream caught their attention, quickly cutting their joyfulness to a halt. Another scream occurred three minutes later; this one sounded closer. Satsuki gripped Ryuuji's hand and Shin stood close beside him. Together, they cautiously moved through the dark woods towards the sound.

As they neared the area, they heard a...sucking noise? The three looked at each other and moved closer. There was a perfect gap between the trees where the sucking noise was strongest. Ryuuji, in his fear, stepped on a branch, but they kept on going. They went beyond the trees and Satsuki screamed.

Natsuno sighed at his state of dress: his pants and shirt were covered in the deer blood. The deer itself was drained almost completely dry. He sensed Tatsumi and the others approaching his location; he started to leave when a branch cracked from behind him. He spun around and his red irises widened.

"Futsumoto, is that you? What in the hell are you doing…" Tomosaka Ryuuji was about to continue, but he stopped abruptly.

There stood the terrified figures of three of his classmates. There was Tomosaka Ryuuji, the athletic; Fujimoto Satsuki, his girlfriend and a cheerleader; and then there was Takanashi Shin, the artistic friend of Ryuuji. They took in his state of dress, the blood and all.

Satsuki screamed. Ryuuji and Shin looked as though they were about to do the same when two hands slapped around their faces. Tatsumi and Sunako had appeared from the trees, and Seishin walked calmly toward the group.

"I'm so sorry you had to witness this, children," Seishin spoke sadly. "We mean you no harm, but you cannot, under any circumstances speak of what you've seen here." He glanced over to Satsuki, who'd begun crying and had slumped to the ground, her head in her hands. Seishin had begun to walk over to her when Ryuuji broke out of Sunako's lax grip.

"You get the fuck away from her!" He screamed, grabbing a fallen branch. Tatsumi sniggered and only gripped the crying Shin tighter. "You think this is funny, you fucking freaks? You guys are monsters! Once we get back to the village I'm bringing the cops and they'll kill you!"

Seishin and the others merely said nothing as the teen raged on. "I've heard of things like you. Like that town, Sotoba?" Each of the vampires internally cringed at that one. "They said it was a forest fire, but I bet it was things like you, huh?" None of them answered him. "I'm telling everyone about this," Ryuuji was about to continue, but he was more preoccupied with his now-broken arm.

Sunako stood above him with her red eyes staring straight through him, and Ryuuji wet himself. She looked to the others of her kind, and they merely stared back. "Tomosaka-san, I'm truly sorry." She said sweetly; then she broke his neck. Tomosaka Ryuuji's body slumped to the ground and Satsuki crawled over to it, clinging to his head and crying.

Sunako broke her neck as well, and Tatsumi killed the boy in his arms. Seishin looked around at the others, all of whom had solemn, stone like faces. He grabbed the girl and boy, and Tatsumi held the boy he'd killed. They slowly walked to the edge of the forest, where a thirty-foot cliff stood. One at a time they dropped the corpses off the side.

"We have to leave now, don't we?" Sunako asked sadly, and the other three merely nodded. Tatsumi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she smiled at him.

"It is time we go now," Seishin spoke calmly; he walked back and they followed him. Silently they walked back to their car, hidden in the trees. They knew that it couldn't have lasted forever, but even Natsuno had hoped they'd be able to stay longer.

One by one they piled into the car and rode off. To where, they didn't know: hopefully to a place where they could have a longer, happier time together without the tragedy of morality getting in the way…


	3. Seoul, 1990

It's been a long, long time folks, and it's my entire fault.

I'd written the first half of this chapter in March but I got sidetracked…majorly.

School got in the way, and as soon as summer started I worked almost every day. I had free time, but lacked motivation. I also went on a two-and –a-half week vacation to Japan (which was boss by the way; I got to geek the hell out). Finally, on another trip (which I'm currently on now) I was able to finish this chapter!

Beware folks; this story is reaching its final chapters!

Thanks so much to those who reviewed and are following the story; it makes me feel all warm and giggly inside every time I see a new follower. Anyways, enough about me; onto the story!

Warnings: This chapter contains old characters, very minor OCs, and Tatsumi being a weirdo.

(Shiki and its characters do not belong to me. I only own the stupid side characters that usually die.)

Sunrise: Chapter 3

**July 27****th****, 1990: Seoul, South Korea**

It was hot; very, very hot. With the time just nearing 8 PM, it was a blistering 96 degrees. Even in shorts and a tank, Natsuno was sweating. Who knew vampires could sweat? He remembered the summer heat when he and Tohru would splash hoses at each other to cool down, but this heat was inescapable. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Natsuno sighed and walked back inside the house that the survivors of Sotoba had called home for the last year and a half.

Sunako and Tatsumi were watching a Korean drama; oddly enough, Tatsumi got more into the shows than Sunako. Seishin was in the kitchen, pouring fresh bags of O-Negative into four ice-filled cups. He walked into the living room and offered one to Natsuno, who gladly took the drink and started to slowly sip it away.

Sunako started to drink hers, but Tatsumi set it to the side and continued to watch the show; only during the commercials would he even allow himself to drink. When Natsuno teased him about it at first, he seriously replied that he didn't want to be disturbed from the intense drama. After that strange conversation, Natsuno generally left Tatsumi alone about his shows.

Natsuno slouched into the couch besides Sunako and tried to watch the show; that try was in vain, for Natsuno couldn't keep his mind on the show. It was just too damned hot. Natsuno sighed and pushed himself further into the couch. Maybe if he tried hard enough, the couch would absorb him and he would be cooler.

The show ended with a cliffhanger and had Sunako and Tatsumi sitting on the edge of the couch. Natsuno laughed out loud at the hilarious sight, and Tatsumi balked at him. "How can you laugh at time like this? Min-Jung is in the hospital and Kyu-Bok doesn't know and he's flying to America! This is terrible!" Once again, Tatsumi was scaring him in a way that he couldn't describe, so Natsuno left him alone.

A news report flashed on and caught Natsuno's attention. A young, decent looking reporter came onto the screen. "Good evening, my name is Chun Hei Gyoh coming to you live with a very special report. Four years ago, a town in Japan mysteriously caught on fire and burned to the ground, killing most of its inhabitants."

All movement in the house stopped within a second. Seishin, still holding the leftover O-Negative bags in his hand, instantly appeared by Natsuno's side, intently focusing on the screen. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Natsuno saw that Sunako and Tatsumi also had their complete attention on the television. The announcer started to speak again, and Natsuno put his full attention on the screen once more.

"The town in question is Sotoba village, a small town that was known for its uncanny abilities to make fantastic wooden headstones for burial sites. Perhaps this was foreboding in the fact that, in just several hours, a once peaceful and innocent town turned to ashes, killing several hundred people. However, here at Channel 6 News, we have a special inside view of what really happened that fateful night in Sotoba, thanks to our interviewer. His name is Dr. Toshio Ozaki, and he was the head doctor of the town's only clinic; he is also one of the sparse survivors of the tragedy.

"Today, I had an interview with Dr. Ozaki and he told me with complete conviction, that the fire was not what had killed off most of the town's residents. He states that several months preceding the fire, a strange epidemic had been going around. He said that an anemic-like disease had spread throughout the village, claiming almost half the lives of its people. He also spoke of mysterious disappearances that ranged from single people to entire families, gone without a trace.

"Dr. Ozaki believes that the entire epidemic started when a mysterious, unknown family had moved into the town's uninhabited mansion on a hill overlooking the village. After they came to the town, he stated quite clearly that _'People just started to drop like flies'_. While he neglected to tell us the name of the family in question, we were able to find the information about the elusive inhabitants.

"Their names were Seishirou, Chizuru, and Sunako Kirishiki. The bodies of Seishirou and Chizuru were found in the aftermath of the fire, but the body of their daughter, Sunako, has yet to be found. Earlier we'd asked Dr. Ozaki if he believed any of the 'mysterious' family had survived, but he gave no comment. His facial expressions however, gave a different impression, as though a new twist had just dawned on him.

"This concludes our report today. Dr. Ozaki will be staying in Seoul until the 31st for a medical conference. Stayed tuned for the upcoming weather broadcast and sports discussions at 8:30. I'm Chun Hei Gyoh, and this has been a Channel 6 News report."

As soon as those last words were spoken by the announcer, Tatsumi clicked the remote and the TV turned off. It was dead silent in the house of the vampires. For several agonizing minutes it stayed like this, until a sniffle from the only female in the home broke the tense silence. Natsuno looked over to see a tear-struck Sunako who was trembling. In all his life, he'd only ever seen her cry once, and it was much less severe than this.

A sob escaped her throat and she buried her face into Tatsumi's shoulder, streaking his shirt with tears. He threw his arms around her and started to smooth her hair softly, whispering words of comfort. Tatsumi met the eyes of the other two males in the household, and his gaze was severe. An unspoken sentence rang throughout the house of the vampires: _we must find him._

**July 30****th****, 1990 – 8:30 PM**

Dr. Toshio Ozaki was being watched. Sure, he hadn't _seen _his new stalkers, but after years of watching his back and staying clear of the shadows had given him a heightened sense as to when he was being followed. Walking out of the parking garage, he observed that almost no one else was around. Sure there were a couple of stumbling drunks around, but no one who would notice if something major went down (like, say, a stalker vs. the stalked showdown perhaps?). He looked around, but he only heard silence, and only saw darkness.

Pulling out a pack of crappy cigarettes from his front jacket pocket, he sighed and said, "I know you're following me, and I really think you should know that I've handled stalkers before; it didn't end so well for them." He lit it up and inhaled deeply. Complete silence answered his statement. He exhaled slowly before a quiet, almost indistinguishable voice replied.

"Toshio, you have become quite the violent man in the years we've been apart." Seishin stepped out of the shadows, wearing all dark greys and blacks. Beside him, Sunako appeared in a light yellow summer dress.

"It's been awhile, Doc," Natsuno said, stepping out of the shadows to the left of Toshio, wearing a light grey tank and brown board shorts. Tatsumi appeared next to him, again in his white once piece track suit that ended in _quite _short shorts.

"It had indeed been awhile, Yuuki-kun," Toshio responded evenly, surprising even his self; on the inside, Toshio was a nervous wreck. He took another long drag from his cigarette and breathed out, watching the smoke flow into the darkening sky. The vampires stood silent and waiting.

Leaning against his car, Toshio spoke on. "I always knew that someone got away, but I'd had no idea that more than one of you'd survived, presumably you two-" he gestured at Natsuno and Tatsumi "-day walkers; the fact that the cute little leader that orchestrated the murder spree that destroyed my village surprises me and disgusts me. My mother died in that town; my _wife _became a vampire before my very eyes."

The vampires stayed silent, still anticipating that he had more to say; they were right.

Toshio reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his keys. Unlocking the trunk, he pulled out a medium-sized briefcase. "I knew you would try to find me someday. I am grateful that it took you this long however, because it allowed me to acquire some…interesting items."

He opened the briefcase and pulled a long, black object that had the same basic shape as a gun, but certain things were different. The barrel was larger, as if made for a bullet four inches in diameter. The gun also had a shoulder strap, as though you could carry it around your shoulder like a bag.

"I know I'm going to die soon, and I almost hope by your hands. I couldn't save the village; it's fitting then that I die like the rest of my fellow villagers, murdered by the bloodsuckers. However, I won't be going alone."

"I'll see you in hell, you little life-sucking bitch." The gun pointed at Sunako and Toshio fired.

A shot rang out; blood splattered across the walls.

The night was silent once more.


	4. End

Well, like I told you guys before, this was going to end soon, and I wasn't lying. So here it is: the final chapter of Sunrise. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I thank you for just taking the time to read my humble fan-fiction. I will probably be writing more Shiki fanfics in the future, but my next multi-chapter story is taking place in a completely different fandom. Before that however, I'm posting a short story I'm currently writing along with this one (set in the XXX-Holic fandom).Anyways, please enjoy the last chapter of Sunrise.

Sunrise Chapter Four

End

**July 30****th****, 1990: 8:35 PM (Seoul)**

As the blood seeped from the wound, Toshio wondered what he did wrong. He'd been anticipating an attack from the former murderers, but this was not the plan. Instead of the little murderess lying on the ground with her blood splattered on the walls and having her cute little head in pieces, it was _him_ with the fatal blow. He glanced down to see that the hand was still in his stomach, puncturing several vital organs.

He should've known that this would happen, should've been more prepared, but he wasn't. Revenge was the only thought on his mind as he remembered everyone that died those fateful months five years ago.

Of course the little murder princess was fine, in the arms of her blue-haired former butler. The bullet was in the hands of the purple-haired teen that still looked as calm as he had when they'd all met only moments ago. Choking up a bit of blood, he looked back into the eyes of his assailant.

Seishin looked back with a sense of calmness that scared Toshio. Seishin sighed and slid his hand out of Toshio's side as gently as possible. Still, it hurt like _hell_ for Toshio. Flicking his hand of the blood that still coated his hand towards the ground, Seishin spoke softly. "I'm so very sorry that I had to do this to you; if this had been in our college years, I would've defended you when the authorities came. However, things have changed."

"You and I are different people than those children from the past; I have a family now." he looked back to the three other vampires who were intently paying attention to the small conversation. "It may not be a…conventional family, but it is one none the less, I would be very saddened if one of them were taken from me."

Toshio listened to Seishin's speech and a small part of him in the part of his heart that died when his village did agreed with him. Once upon a time he would've done the same thing for his wife, and even his old, angry mother. Family was family; blood was blood.

He slumped against the door of his car and slowly slid down, groaning in pain the whole way. Toshio was not only a doctor, he was a realist: he was going to die, and it was going to happen soon. The only way someone could survive a wound like that would be if they were already a vamp or were being sired. No thanks, that's not an offer Toshio was willing to agree to.

"I would offer to save you with the gift of immortality, but I already know you'll reject it." Sunako was now out of Tatsumi's arms and was slowly making her way towards Toshio's bloodied form. As she got closer, Toshio attempted to give her his most menacing glare; she just smiled sadly and sat down beside him. He coughed, and more blood spewed from his mouth, but the young-looking vampire didn't even flinch.

"Dr. Ozaki, I'd like to help you on your journey to the next life," she said calmly, slowly taking his hand in hers. "I know you hate me more than any other creature on this earth, and I accept that. I did terrible things to you, and I'm not asking for forgiveness. Still, I'd like to help ease your passing. Will you let me help you? If you don't want it, we'll leave you here and call an ambulance anonymously; you will die, but it'll be in a hospital and not on the ground."

Toshio stayed silent and contemplated. He could die painfully and slow and alone, or quickly and painlessly. The shrinking logical side of his brain was dwarfed by the side that screamed for the end of the pain and for death.

"…_Yes…" _He wanted to at least sound reluctant, but he could barely rasp out that one measly word. Knowing that he was willing, Sunako slowly lifted his hand to her lips. Her fangs sprung out at the sight of the fresh blood, and Toshio flinched. He'd seen it countless times before, had killed many bloodsuckers with that state of teeth, but now was different. He was going to die; the vampire's he'd evaded five years ago were going to kill him, and it was okay.

He barely even noticed when her fangs slipped through the skin on his wrist and attacked his veins. In a faraway numb place he noticed the feeling going from his hand slowly, but he just sighed and began to lean back further into the car.

His descent was stopped by Seishin's gentle hand holding his head. He looked intensely into Toshio's eyes; being that he'd lost so much blood that he couldn't formulate a verbal response, Toshio merely nodded in consent.

Seishin at once attacked his neck, and this Toshio _felt _it. He could literally tell that the life was being sucked out of him. Seeing Seishin's enthusiasm, Sunako quickly picked up her sucking pace and Toshio sucked in a large amount of air.

So this is what it felt like. As Sunako promised, it didn't hurt. Rather, he just felt his body become unnaturally calm and still. The pain in his stomach faded away, as did all motion in his torso and below. Trees and streetlights began to blur together, but the four vampires surrounding him were oddly still in focus. He hadn't even realized he was crying until Seishin gently wiped his tears away.

"_G…god…d-damn…"_ Toshio rasped out, and Seishin slowly smoothed his hair down. If this wasn't so…final, it might've felt odd. In all their years together, Seishin and Toshio had never had such a…_intimate _moment in their friendship, so it was fitting that it would be the last one.

A mouth moved on his ear, and he would've flinched if he had the effort. "It's alright now; you can sleep." Sunako's calm voice drifted through his mind like a command, and Toshio felt himself drifting farther and farther away, as if on a tide going out to sea. He slumped back even further into Seishin and let out a slow, shaky breath.

'_I'm just so tired now, I think I'll…_'

**August 17****th****, 1990: 4:45 AM**

**SOTOBA**

They buried the body with excruciating care; the corpse was in a plush velvet coffin with a beautiful oak outside. The three men lowered it slowly into the freshly dug hole, which was quite nice for being dug with spades. The coffin reached the ground with a soft _–thump- _and the men climbed out of the hole. The girl gently tossed the bouquet of white roses on top of the coffin; the men did not speak.

Slowly two of the men began shoveling dirt back onto the grave; the other man and the girl went back to the car to grab the grave marker, made from the very trees around them. They carried it back together, silent as the forest surrounding them on all sides.

The two men were already done shoveling the dirt back onto the coffin and had already cleared a space above the grave of branches and weeds. The third man slowly lowered the marker into the soft earth and the other three people around him gently padded the dirt around it. When they determined that the marker was stable, they all slowly stepped away. It stood simple yet proud, very similar to the man it was dedicated to.

The four said no words, choosing instead for a moment of silence to remember the man. After several minutes, the four walked back towards the car and into the night, and the sunrise that came beyond it.

**September 20****th****, 2011**

**SOTOBA**

The dare was simple: go out into the old forest by the burned town and do a rubbing of the lone, nameless grave marker in the middle of the forest. The young boy assigned loved the nighttime and had no problem going out alone. He found the grave with ease and quickly pulled out the required materials.

While leaving, he noticed that a small, fresh white rose sat at the base of the grave marker. Shrugging it off as a stunt pulled to try and get him to run away, he calmly walked back towards the meeting area.

Arriving back early, the boy was met with pats on the back and other kids his age grabbing at his paper to make sure he went through with it. A cheer went out as it was verified, and the leader of the group that initiated the dare came down to shake his hand.

He thanked everyone and smiled, but stopped as the rose came to his mind.

"Who put the rose there? Is that to try and scare people off?"

The leader looked at him, face now completely serious, and told him with utter conviction that the rose had always been there, since the grave appeared.

Eventually all the children went home, including the young boy that went to grave. Sitting on his bed, he suddenly remembered he'd never actually _read _the rubbing. He jumped off the bed and grabbed his bag, tearing it open in search of the paper.

The grave rubbing had no mention of a name, birthdate or death date, or anything to identify the man, only a simple phrase.

_He wanted to save everyone._

END


End file.
